Flight Review: AJet (previously AnadoluJet) Boeing 737-800
Flight#: TK7757
From: Baku (GYD)
To: Ankara-Esenboga (ESB)
Flight time: 2h 30min
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Flight#: TK7732
From: Ankara-Esenboga (ESB)
To: Berlin (BER)
Flight time: 2h 20min
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
This flight report is actually a composite of two more or less successive flights I took with the new AJet, or maybe I should better refer to it by its former name AnadoluJet. In fact I was doubting how to title this flight review, at the time of these flights, AJet had already rebranded and sort of spun-off commercially from its parent company, Turkish Airlines, but the aircraft, branding and all the experience was still “AnadoluJet”.
My guess is that, while the basics of the product will remain unchanged, some of the brand-related elements in this flight review will soon be outdated as the new AJet brand is being rolled out across the fleet and this little known Turkish Airlines subsidiary starts to build an independent image.
Btw, in case you were wondering, this is how the AJet fleet will look like with the rebranding. In the next video you can see also how they painted the first aircraft with the new AJet livery:
Also, with AJet expanding its geographical footprint and Ankara having a rather modern and functional airport, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ankara-Esenboga airport (ESB) starts to see connection traffic soaring, taking a bit of slack off Istanbul’s two super-busy airports.
Ankara-Esenboga airport. Note how this aircraft is still wearing the AnadoluJet livery, which is basically like Turkish Airlines’ but in blue. The new AJet livery is quite different, also blue, though!
Pre-flight Experience
This is, precisely, one of the aspects of the AJet-AnadoluJet experience that is going to change first.
While the AJet website was already operational with the new brand and the time of my booking, as soon as you selected your flights, it took it to the Turkish Airlines website to complete the transaction. The flights used also the Turkish Airlines “TK” code and the crew was wearing Turkish Airlines uniforms.
The Cabin
AJet-AnadoluJet operates aircraft with a single-class, all economy cabin, which makes sense if we consider that, at least until now, its primarily role was to operate as a domestic carrier within Turkey (although this is changing!)
The seats are made by Turkish manufacturer TSI Seats and are of the lightweight, slim type. These were installed quite recently on the AnadoluJet B737-800 fleet, sometime after 2021.
The leather upholstery always gives it a sort of elegant look and it is easy to clean as well (although, truth be said, on my second flight there was a bit of dirt on the seat from the previous passengers).
The cabin was also fitted with the Boeing Sky interior, which has features like ambient LED lighting, although in this case its use was limited, since it was a flight in the middle of the day.
As you can see here, the seat pitch is pretty decent (my legs didn’t touch the back of the seat in front at any time). There is a “literature pocket” in the upper part, which makes for a more hollow bottom half, gaining some space this way.
The seats recline a little bit, btw.
I was somewhere towards the middle of the cabin in the middle seat, but then a crew member proactively suggested I may be more comfortable at the back of the cabin, where there were more empty seats, which is what I did. Nice one here from the crew!
The only “if” is that I got the impression that it was quite noisy at the back of the cabin, perhaps because I have been flying quite a lot on newer “neo” and MAX aircraft and got used to the quieter cabins compared to the earlier generation -800s!
Food and Amenities
This was one of the positive surprises of this flight: AJet-AnadoluJet does actually provide some free food and drink. Basic, true, but already way more than many other low-costish (and some “full-service” airlines)!
As you can see here, the meal consisted of a water, coffee and sandwich, which I found actually quite tasty, since unlike is often the case on aircraft, did contain just simple ingredients (cheese, a slice of tomato and a slice of chicken ham), no complications with sauces, etc. The crew were providing also water refills.
We also got a wet towel and a napkin.
I really liked the colourful design on the cups and the towel wrapping!
Interestingly, there is no food for sale onboard AnadoluJet. So, even of the product is “low-costish”, food and drink doesn’t seem to be an ancillary revenue stream for them. It is what it is, either you eat the basic food and drink that is served during the flight or you wait until you get to the airport.
In terms of amenities, there is no inflight entertainment (IFE) or internet connectivity onboard, neither is there an inflight magazine. So, bring your own entertainment!
Our Take
While it is yet to be seen whether there are going to be product changes along with the rebranding, I found that AJet-AnadoluJet offers a rather decent value proposition. The product is, admittedly basic, but it offers some minimal frills that other LCCs don’t offer, same with the seat pitch and comfort, which is allright.
The other interesting aspect of AJet’s operation is that you can find an increasing number of reasonably priced connecting options via Ankara, which is less crowded than the Istanbul hubs.
The landscape of Anatolia, the part of Turkey that AnadoluJet takes is name from